Sissy Jefferson
by makenzie 3813
Summary: Sissy Jefferson lives in Vermont with her mother and two brothers.  When her mother dies what will happen to the debt that she owes for spending her last few cents on shoes and will she ever find her father in New York?
1. shoes

The sun was setting a color or pink and purple as the young girl walked down the snow covered road. She had been walking all day after being out all day looking for the perfect shoes. The girl's mother had been deathly ill for three months now and the doctor said that she had a mere week at most left with her family. As the girl turned the corner she could start to see the outline of the thick Vermont woods where her family lived. The girl kept her steady pace and in about a minute reached the door to her family's two floor, four room cozy cottage.

**I know, I know... I am writing this story while i sitll haven't finished my other one (and I am no where near finishing). I just wanted to put this intro out there and see if it caught anyones eye. I know that there is nothing to do with the newsies yet... but there will be. **_This story is for you sissy._


	2. I foresee the dark ahead if I stay

**I do not own the title of this chapter Fergie does. at the end of this story i plan on making a soudtrack and i hope that you find alot of songs that you like. well here goes my favorite part...**

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I had been looking and looking for my mother's size for years it felt like. Sleeping in allies of the small Vermont town was not as fun as people said it was. On the fifth day I found them. Black ballet shoes, size five. Just what I had dreamt of. Walking into the store I was so excited. 'Jerry's' was the name. I walked up to the counter and pointed at the shoes on display in the window. The old man behind the counter, Jerry I assume, limped slowly over using a cane to keep him up instead of his right leg that was nowhere in sight.

"Five dollars."

"Kind sir, I have no more than fifty cents. My dear mother is dying and I need her to have these shoes that she has been saving up for years now. I would be in such gratitude of you if only you would let me have them." 'I should be ashamed, lying saying that my mother has been saving up. Goodness, what has not eating for a week done to me?'

"Girl, what is your name?" I noticed that he had a soothing voice that of a man that one day got tired of yelling therefore stopped and now spoke like soft melted butter.

"Jazlyn kind sir. But my friends, they call me sissy."

"And why is that? Is it because you are afraid of much to much?"

"No sir, it was given to me by my sister when she was young and alive sir. It just stuck like those hot summer days." The old man chuckled as he noticed the slight distaste look on my face as I mentioned the hot summers.

"I presume you like winter and snow then?"

"Oh yes!" my face lit up like a bright, newly lit candle. "Christmas is my favorite of all holidays sir!"

"Well then, three more days. Since this is the season of giving I shall give you the shoes for fifty cents. But sent your Pa over the day after Christmas. Then he can pay off the dept in work." When he mentioned my father all the emotion in my eyes drained out and the color in my cheeks faded.

"I am dearly sorry sir, my Pa left my family and I a few years ago. All we have left is my dieing mother and my two brothers."

"Then send your oldest brother." Again I looked at my feet in shame.

"Jaccob is not of working age yet sir. He is a mere seven years of age. And Colin is five years of age. I the head and caretaker of the house for three or four months now." I looked up and the color and emotion came back into my face and eyes once I saw him smiling.

"Sissy, how long does it take for you to get home from here?"

"Once day on foot sir, three or four hours by horse. But I walk, for my family can no longer afford a horse."

"Two days after Christmas I will expect you here to repay your dept Agreed?"

"I will be here kind sir." The old man and I shook hands, exchanged the money and shoes, nodded at each other and I pranced out of the shoe shop. After an hour on the road I looked down into my right hand and saw the most beautiful black ballet shoes were in my hand. I smiled the rest of the ay home, pushing all of my bad luck and sad memories out of my mind.

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**please please please review. i am writing this in school, so when i come home every day i should have something new. **_this one's for sissy_


	3. Merry Christmas Baby

By the time I got home the sun had just set and it was starting to snow. I walked in the door and took off me weak excuse of a coat.

"Jaccob dear, where are you?"

Up stairs Sissy. Mama and Colin are up here also." I walked up the stairs that were right across from me. The stairs didn't creak like normal though.

"Jaccob, what happened to the stairs? They don't creak anymore."

"While you were gone I fixed it so that it would no longer creak."

"Oh. Well. Thank you." Jaccob had never helped out around the house before. He was always outside running around with all of the other kids or inside the barn with Colin. As I walked into my mother's room, I could smell death creeping up on the windows. My mother looked as white as the roof tops at this time of year.

"Jazlyn, darling, where have you been?" her voice sounded frailer than how she looked.

"I have been in town for a while. I had to get you your Christmas gift." I went over to her bed and lifted Colin up because he was in the bed with my mother heavily sleeping. I laid him down on the rocking chair that consumed him right as his body was free of mine.

"Here they are mother." I handed her the shoes all shiny and bright, and instantly, you could see her face light up.

"But... Jaz... how... but... money... and... thank you." I could see that she meant what she said.

"Here Mama, let me put them on for you." I slipped them on my mother and they fit just perfectly.

A day later it was Christmas eve. Excitement flooded through the house squeezing its way through holiday smells like pine trees, holly, and duck.

Jaccob, Colin, and I still had to go to church even though we had no one older to accompany us. At 10:00 we left our warm house and trudged into the snow filled night. Our church is the most beautiful building that I have ever been in. It has a white exterior like most churches and regular windows, since our town could not afford the colored glass. Inside always blows me away. The walls are a baby blue color that was so soft it felt like a feathered pillow made of wood and bricks. Each pew is made of a soft pinewood that smells as would smells after a light rain. The front of the church, where the altar is, is what made the church grand. Even though we don't have colored glass, we have a gold altar. The altar was saved from a great fire around 20 years ago. Since the church is so far away from the town, it took the hose a long while to get to the church. By the time the hose reached the church, the back half of the church was destroyed and the gold alter was barley in tact, but ended up being saved in time.

Jaccob, Colin, and I got to the church at 10:30 add we all looked around for people that we knew. Right away I found my best friend Kitty. Kitty's real name is Abigail but from the beginning of time I called her Kitty and everybody else liked it so it became her nickname.

"Sissy!" she squealed, "Where have you been? I came looking for you many a times, each as unsuccessful as the last." She had a look of playful concern in her eyes and I couldn't help but giggle like a normal girl my age would.

"I was off buying my mother some shoes in town, they were given to her as an early Christmas gift."

"What kind of shoes?"

"Black ballet. I'll show you them some day soon, but for now, I must find seats for Jaccob, Colin, and I." We hugged and walked our separate ways. We both knew that we could not sit with each other. Both of her parents did not agree with my mother and that she brought us up without a father.

The three of us found a pew in the very back that was just perfect. It was only 11:00 pm and the mass started at 12:00 am so, Jaccob and I decided to have a discussion on what happened while I was gone.

Jaccob is a strange child, at the age of five he was forced to speed up his "growing up" years and become a man. He is a very smart and thoughtful young boy who, in my opinion, is very charming. His face much like his personality makes him seem older than he really is. If he needed to, he could pull off a short twelve-year-older. But even at this juvenile age, Jaccob is a looker. His height is about 4'11 to 5' and he has quite the muscles from all of the physical labor that he is made to do. He had inherited my mother's dark-chocolate brown eyes along with her brunette hair that is as straight as if it were ironed flat. Colin could pass for Jaccob's twin if only he had a more mature face. You could see the innocents of a child still sparkling in his eyes. I on the other hand could pass for a different family all together. I had also a mature looking face to old for my small amount of years on this earth. My eyes are a shocking green that could make any expression used to its fullest. My sandy colored hair was that of an angle's with gentle baby curls cascading down to right below my shoulders.

"Sissy, sissy. Sissy!" I awoke from my dreamland that I wished that I hadn't have to leave, "Sissy, why were you out for so long?"

"I told you already. I had to find mother the perfect pair of shoes. So what did you do while I was away?" Both Colin and Jaccob looked strait up.

"Well, if you weally wanna know…"

"Yes I really would love to know, not weally wanna." Colin slouched back down in embarrassment. He hated being corrected.

"Hmph. Fine. If you REALLY WOULD LIKE to know. We cleaned the house up for you."

"Oh thank you Colin. Thank you so! And Kid, I am in much gratitude toward you!" I ruffled up Colin's hair and he grinned while missing his two front teeth, which cost me a nickel each. Kid is also another nickname. It seems that I have quite a list so far. Kid was always Jaccob's nickname. One day he came home from playing and said, "My new name's Kid," and that was that.

"Sissy, how did you pay for the shoes?" Jaccob, or Kid, whispered to me.

"We will discuss that later. For now, it is Christmas, Christ's birthday, so we must celebrate and participate in the mass that should be starting soon. We will press on the more detailed matters tomorrow. But for now, enjoy yourself, it may come to an end sooner than we expect it to." And that it did.

And that it did.

**hey guys, anybody reading... regarding the authors note above... for this story it will not be as affective because i am writing this story in a notebook in school and then typing it so i can do the typing in school and the posting at home... so anybody reading this your a lucky ducky... hope you like it!!**


	4. deep inside my heart you'll leave me nev

**tear jerker... watch out**

Just as any other service is, this one was in Latin. I think that they purposely say the masses in Latin just to confuse us kids. Throughout the mass, and Christmas in particular, you are supposed to be dead silent. I had always thought that this was a law. I even remember once… BAM! The door to outside slammed shut, making me stop in the middle of my thoughts. I turned around to see it I knew who the culprit was. And boy did I. The person making all of the noise was the doctor that was supposed to be taking care of my mother.

"What is doctor Freedman doing here?" Jaccob whispered to me.

"I don't know Jaccob, I really don't know." I whispered back. Dr. Freedman walked right towards us and motioned for us to leave with him. As I stood up I could feel all eyes on us, the three soon to be orphaned, Jefferson kids. The doctor led us into the cold night after we got our coats. Dr. Freedman had a timid look on his face as we got into his horse and carriage.

"Kids," the three of us looked up from our palms and into the doctor's eyes, "I don't really know how to say this but…"

"Is she _gone_ yet?" I refused to say the word dead ever since…

"No not yet, but she probably only has a few more hours to live. Ten at the most." That was the second time tonight somebody stopped me from thinking about Boo. Wait, my mother is dying and I am sitter here thinking about Boo, shouldn't I be crying or something of that sort? I let my mind wander off to a fairytale world until we got to my house. The four of us clambered out of the carriage and marched inside. Once I reached the stairs to go upstairs it hit me. My mother is dying. No more mom to cry to about boys, school, or little brothers. No more mom to tell my secrets to. And the hardest, no more mom to hug and tell that I love them. From now on I would have to be the mom to Jaccob and Colin. At that second I grew up. I started understanding and started thinking what was to come when my mom dies. After a couple of minutes I noticed that I had stopped halfway up the steps. I continued up and finally got to my mother's door. Deciding that I wouldn't cry, I opened the door. When I walked in nobody looked up. Everybody seemed to have a job to do. Dr. Freedman and his helper were trying to make my mother's last hours as painless as possible. Jaccob was comforting Colin in his arms while Colin was lightly crying. I walked over to Jaccob and put my hand on his shoulder. He looked up, his normal dancing brown eyes now looked dead and bloodshot.

"Jaccob, do you want me to take him?" He nodded his head yes and stood up Colin then himself. I picked Colin up and sat us both down. His sobs were softer now and he seemed to be crying himself to sleep. I don't know how long we sat there, but it must have been for hours, because when I awoke it was bright outside. I looked across the room, the doctor and his helper were both in separate chairs brought up from the dinning room. Jaccob was no where to be seen.

"Doctor Freedman," the doctor looked up, "she isn't gone yet is she?"

"No, but I would say less than an hour. If you wanted to, I would say your last goodbyes now."

"Ohk doctor. Thank you," turning down to Colin I said, "Come on Colin. Time to wake up. We have to say goodbye to mother." Colin opened up his eyes and looked around the room observing everything just as I had.

"Colin, go over to her bed and hold her hand as you used to. When I come back with Jaccob you can wake her up."

"Can I play with her hair?"

"No Colin, not today."

"Will I ever be able to Sissy?"

"I don't know Colin. Maybe, I don't know." Colin loved my mother's hair. When he was a baby in my mother's arms he wouldn't move or cry. He would just watch her hair flow all around him. Sometimes he would laugh making her smile. But those were the days that Boo was here, but she isn't here anymore. No only the innocent smile, only Colin. I walked into Jaccob's room that he shared with Colin. It was even darker than my mother's room. The shutters were closed to block out the sunlight and joy that is Christmas day. Jaccob seemed to be asleep in his bed but as I walked closer I noticed that his eyes were open and staring at the blank ceiling above.

"Jaccob. It is time for us to say good bye." He looked at me with such confusion and sadness in his eyes.

"Ohk. But first, Sissy, where are we to go when mother dies?"

"Let's not discuss that yet. Let's just go and say goodbye to Mother."

"Yes Sissy." I led him out of the room, to the right, down the hall, and to the left. I entered and walked quickly and quietly to Colin's side.

"Colin, you can wake her up now. But remember, gently."

Colin leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. At once she opened her eyes.

"Kids…. I love you."

"Mamma, I love you so much. 'Member what I said, when you go up to heaven. 'Member to find Boo and tell her that we love her and miss her."

"I will Colin. And remember, be good for your sister."

"I will mommy. I love you."

"I will _always_ love you Colin. Remember that."

"Yes Momma." Colin left the room closing the door behind him. It was Jaccob's turn next.

"Mom, I'm gonna miss you."

"I will miss you too Jaccob. Be strong for Colin and Jazlyn."

"Yes Momma."

"I love you so much Jaccob. Just remember, this wasn't my choice, its God's. He needs another angel."

"I know. And I love you Mom." He kissed her on the forehead and left just Colin had. Now it was me and her.

"Mom I am going to miss you so much." I was already crying and so was she.

"I will miss you to my sweet sweet Jazlyn."

"But what am I to do with the boys…they…they don't even listen."

"They do Jazlyn. You trust me don't you?"

"Ye…yes."

"Good. Because I trust you. Believe me when I say that I don't want to go. I just have to. If I could I would stay here forever with you. But God has other plans for me, and you, and somehow this works out well for him."

"I understand but…"

"I can feel myself leaving Jazlyn."

"Please don't go… I need you."

"No you don't."

"Mom?"

"Yes?"

"I love you more than life is self mom."

"I love you more than you could ever know." with that she took my hand in hers and squeezed it.

"I…I love you."

"I love you too," she closed her eyes, "Good bye Jazlyn."

"Good bye Mom." I whispered. A few seconds later her hand stopped squeezing and her stomach stopped moving up and down. I leaned over and gave my mom a last kiss on the cheek and walked out still crying. In the doorway I turned around, "I love you mom," I whispered. That was the last time I planned to ever say those worlds together ever again.

**Hey peoples... sorry if this is sadd... it had to be in here though... so sorry if like you cryed... my friend did and i felt soo badd. anyways if your reading would you please review because i have like nothing and i am begining to think that i am writing this for like no reason. so please and thank you!**


	5. Get back to where you once belonged

**Hey dudes...well im writing for this and not my other story and thats like not cool so i might not enter anything for this story for a while. well bye...**

**(enter disclaimer here)**

I walked down the stairs and at stopped at the bottom where the doctor and his helper stood.

"She's gone." Dr. Freedman nodded and walked up the steps. We were now free to go anywhere. The doctor would bury her and get the house because he took care of her. Anything we left behind would be his to keep or sell as he pleased.

"Sissy," I looked up at my brothers who were sitting in the two remaining chairs in the kitchen. "Where are we going to go?" Concern dripped from Jaccob's small voice. That's when it hit me.

"Jerry," I muttered under my breath. "Boys, pack your bags we are leaving this place in one hour and we are going into town." They both nodded and went upstairs to their room to start packing. I too walked up the steps and once at the top, the doctor stopped me.

"Miss. Jefferson, we only found two things of value on your mother. Would you like them?" The doctor held up the two most precious things that I have ever seen. In one hand he held the ballet shoes. In the other he held a thick black string with a golden locket hanging from it. I have never seen the locket off my mother's neck before.

"I would love to take them both. Thank you." The doctor shook his head and went back into my Mother's room.

I walked into my room and put the locked and shoes on my bed. I reached under my bed and found two things. My suit case, and an envelope filled with dollar bills. Even though it is the family's money supply it has always been kept in my room. I put the suit case next to the shoes and locket on my bed and sat down on a chair across the room. I slipped off my overly worn shoes and grabbed the ballet shoes. They fit better on me than they had on my Mom. Next I reached for the locket. I slipped the black string over my head and as the cold locket hit my warm skin I felt a shiver run through my body. I stood up and walked over to my closet. I pulled out a few dresses, night gowns, and a coat. I had space enough for one more dress. I picked my favorite dark purple dressy-dress, just in case I ever needed to get all dolled up. I put the envelope of money at the top of my bag and closed it. I walked out of my room and down the stairs. Jaccob and Colin were already down there, bags packed and jackets on. I put my heaviest coat on and without a backwards glanced walked out into the brisk afternoon.

After what felt like years, the three of us could finally see the outskirts of the town. Out of breath and an hour later, Colin, Jaccob, and I were standing outside of Jerry's. We walked into the shop and immediately were happy. There was a roaring fire going on the left wall and it felt like heaven.

"Jazlyn, good to see you. Why you brought your brothers and a day early." Jerry sounded even more cheerful than the last time I saw him.

"Hello sir. These are my brothers, Colin and Jaccob. And I am sorry if we have disturbed your Christmas sir, we just had to go."

"And why is that?" He said, a look of concern on his face.

"Well you see sir. Our mother died this morning and we had no place to go so we came here."

"Oh, well I am very sorry about your mother. But, on to more pressing matters. I suppose you are here to pay me back?"

"Yes sir."

"Well, this works out well. I have a friend in New York that needs a hard working woman. He runs a sort of…what should I call it… orphanage… yes… and I owe him. So I was hopping that since I have no use for you here that you would go there and work for my friend."

"I would but what about my brothers?"

"They could go too. Here, I will even pay for your train ticket along with theirs."

I turned my head and looked at Jaccob whom was smiling from ear to ear. He has always wanted to go to New York.

"Agreed?"

"Yes sir. Agreed." He stuck out his hand and I did the same.

"Here is the money for the train ride." He passed me the money then went to his desk and took out a pencil and a piece of paper. He wrote something down then walked back and handed it to me.

"These are where you are going, from here all the way to where you will be working."

"Thank you sir. But sir, do you think that we could stay here the night if you have an extra bed?"

"Why yes, of course. Follow me." He led us into the back room and pointed at two beds. One big, one small.

"Thank you sir. Hopefully we will see you before we are off."

"Yes. Oh and kids." we all looked up. "Merry Christmas." And with that, he was gone.

**hope you liked it... and the title may not seem to have anything to do with the chapter... but in a couple youll be all like OH I GET IT!! well... read and review so i know that your out there. **


	6. Maybe someday I will see you again

**well sorry for it taking so long...**

"Jaccob, why don't you sleep in the big bed with Colin, I'll take the small one."

"But Sissy. I…I want to sleep with you."

'Ohk, then. Don't bother changing, we are going to wake up in a few hours anyway." I watched the boys clamber into bed and quickly fall asleep because of pure exhaustion. Not really feeling like sleeping I walked back into the shop. I walked aimlessly around for a bit looking at the shoes and thinking about was is going to happen when we get to New York.

"Don't feel like sleeping?" My heart skipped a beat. I turned around to see Jerry sitting at the counter.

"I am not much of a sleeper sir."

"I see, me neither. How do you usually fall asleep?"

"By reading sir. But I forgot all of my books at home."

"Ahh. So what is your favorite?"

"A midsummer's night dream."

"So you like Shakespeare. I myself like his work too. Is that the only one you've read of his."

"No, that and many others."

"Romeo and Juliet?"

"No sir. But I have always wanted to."

"Well, you are in luck. It just so happens that I have Romeo and Juliet right here." He reached under his desk and got a thick leather binded book out. He then reached over and handed it to me.

"Here, you have it. I may not be done, but you will be needing it more than me, to just, take your mind off of life."

"Oh no sir. I could not take it from you."

"Think of it as a Christmas gift. Now go to bed. I am going to have to wake you up early tomorrow morning."

"Yes sir, thank you."

"Of course. Now off to bed. And no reading yet. You can start it on the train. You will have a long ride of nothing but sitting."

"Yes sir. Good night sir."

"Goodnight." I walked into my temporary room and got into bed. Once my head touched the pillow I went into a dreamless sleep. Only to be disturbed four hours later by a man named Jerry who only has one leg and his heart just seems only to grow by the hour.

"Wake up Jazlyn, It is time for you to be leaving now." I opened my eyes but shut them in an instance because of the great increase of light since I had last had them open.

"Come now girl, your brothers are up, ready, packed, and eager." Once again I opened my eyes, this time to success, and sat up patting my dress down. I looked over to find Jerry sitting at the edge of my bed with a crisp paper in his hand.

"G' morninn'. Sorry to have been such a hassle." I calmly said while getting ready to leave.

"No, no hassle at all. But I have a change in plans for you."

"Oh, well I hope everything is all right."

"Indeed it is, we just have to be very careful with a girl your age going into New York all by herself."

"Well I will have my two brothers sir. So there will be no need to worry."

"I would rather be safe than sorry."

"Yes, I suppose so. So what is the change of plans?"

"Well, instead of going to the original place first, you will go here," he pointed to a city name familiar to me. 'Hattan. That is all it said an I already knew what trouble this trip was going to be. "I have the new directions for you here," he handed me the new sheet of paper. "But just keep the old ones. And on the back of the new directions there is a note that you should give to James at your destination."

"Thank you."

"Oh, and I almost forgot," Jerry reached into the deep pocket of his pants and dug out three 2 dollar bills. The bills looked twice as old as Jerry and as if they had been handled a thousand times. "This should be enough. Now pack you bags and I shall see you off."

"Again, thank you."

"No, thank you. You made my Christmas worthwhile." I blushed as he left the room but scorned myself.

"Jefferson women do not blush over men at any age." I whispered softly to myself. I quickly put the new directions into my bag and put my coat on over my plain blue and while dress. "Once I get there I'll change."

I walked into the front room to where my brothers where standing and smiled crookedly at them. My old friend Bobby used to tell my that when I smiled like that he always felt the urge to either hug or kiss me and he said that one day he would get up the courage to do it. Unfortunately for the both of us, he never did either and I would most likely never see him again so he will never be able to.

"Come on boys, we ought to be getting to the train yards soon."

I led my brothers out the door and into the blindingly sunny day. Although it was sunny, snow covered every inch of street. Half a mile down the road we stopped to cross the street to the train yards up ahead. It was so cold outside that Colin was amusing himself with his breath. Using his finger he tried and tried to make a picture in his breath. We crossed the street and bought three tickets for the 11:00 am train to New York non-stop with still two dollars to spare. I gave Colin and Jaccob each a dollar to do what they liked with and they both came back to the park bench I was residing on with a cup of hot cocoa and a hot dog. It was 10:30, we had a half an hour to waste. Jaccob and Colin had both picked up sticks and started to fight. I watched them thinking of how innocent they are compared to what they will be like now that they are moving to New York.

"Sissy, look…a…a train!" I looked up and saw a huge black train sprinting down the tracks.

"Yup, that's a train all right, Colin. Now come here, I don't want you to get squashed." Colin ran u into my arms and sat on my lap to watch as the train stopped in front of us. Colin and Jaccob both grabbed their bags and dragged me into the train.

After ten minutes of the never ending search, we found our cabin and stumbled in like drunken fools in a large crowd.

"Colin gets the top bunk here, Jaccob you sleep under him. Every night you two switch. I get this bunk. Now both of you go to sleep. You haven't slept decently in a few days if not more." Jaccob and Colin both mumbles something about how unfair I am and climbed into their beds easily falling to sleep. As I sat down, looking out the window, at the table; the train whistle went off signaling that the train was starting to move. I stared out the window with tears in my eyes.

"Gosh, who would have thought I would ever go back to New York? I wonder if I will ever see him again since that is where he moved to… But I will miss Vermont, Bobby, and Kitty," I laughed remembering all of the stupid things that we had done together. "I will never forgive mother for making us leave. _Never_."

**newsies are in the next chappie... I SWEAR!!! _for sissy x3_**


	7. Chapter 7

**so I just started writing my other fanfic for this account again so I guess I am going to have to type this one up to. I really enjoy this story so I can promise you that I will get a lot uploaded soon, I mean I have a lot written up, just not typed.**

**Well, thanks for stickin around!**

**--Cassie--**


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